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Where Have All The Children Gone?

June 5, 2011, 7am PDT

Decreasing fertility rates of non-Hispanic whites and black women, plus the tendency of families with children to cluster, have caused declines in the '18 and under' population share in 95% of U.S. counties.

Some thought it was just a 'big city' problem where couples would move to the suburbs when it was time for the children to enter school. Yet suburbs too are not immune to the shifting demographics. In fact, were it not for Hispanic migration to the suburbs, the decline would have been greater. Findings are from a USA TODAY analysis.

"Births among Hispanics - they make up 23.1% of those under 18, up from 17.1% in 2000 - have not been enough to stem the overall decline. Children make up 24% of the nation's population, down from 25.7% in 2000.

A recent Census survey shows that white women are more likely to be childless than other groups and that black women are more likely to be childless than Hispanics

A University of Southern California analysis of the state's shrinking child population found that Los Angeles County is at the center of the decline because of difficult living conditions for families facing high housing costs during economic hard times."

Comments

Comments

Declining Birth Rates are Good.

Anyone pretending to want sustainability - and those who pretend to be planning for it - will applaud any news of declining birth rates. It is the most important thing to make human society sustainable.